Pinwheel| A Seventeen FF

Breakfast

Jeonghan's POV:

The scraping of knives against the plates was the only noise that filled the room. It didn't feel enjoyable. I waited for Dad to finish his food and announce whatever he had for a new mission. I looked at him and he had a fair part of the omelette still on his plate. I glanced at Jihoon. He was busy playing with a cherry tomato, his share of the food untouched.

"Shhh" I tried to gain his attention. He was sitting opposite to me. The dining table was large enough to fit ten chairs. As per the universal rule, the eldest, my Dad, sat on the main chair. I sat on his left and Jihoon sat on his right. Choel was standing behind me and Wonwoo was standing behind Jihoon. 

Jihoon looked at me and arched an eyebrow. "Eat" I mouthed to him. He rolled his eyes and went back to playing with the tomato. I tried kicking his soles from underneath the table but failed to reach them. I looked at Wonwoo, gesturing for him to try something. He just shrugged.

Jihoon can be stubborn sometimes.

"You should eat young boy. Even though you despise me and my work, food has done nothing wrong." Father spoke without sparing us a glance. I looked at him. Annoyance and anger slowly built up in me.  

Are you caring for your children after killing their mother? 

I scoffed and continued eating my food. Thankfully, Jihoon started eating too. I was expecting silence to fill the room again but something my father spoke drifted my attention.

"Mr. Choi, Mr. Jeon, Join us for the meal. The chefs must be done with your menu too." I looked at him with surprise. Even Jihoon was skeptically looking at him. I looked at Choel and Wonwoo; they were in the same boat. But they chose not to question and followed along. Seungchoel sat beside me and Wonwoo sat beside Jihoon. Soon, their breakfast was served as well.

"Why are you suddenly being so generous Dad?" I dare ask what I guess all four of us were keen to know.

"Don't get your hopes up for anything. This will be your last meal in the house for a while. You four have to stick together for the next mission. Consider it as your warm-up." He replied. Now if things were borderline confusing, It has crossed the border already. This was unusual.

The missions always came at an interval of half a month. But we were summoned again when we completed a mission yesterday. We never had any mission that lasted more than a day. The only mission we get is to negotiate and do background checks. The extreme that we reach during a mission is supplying drugs. Nothing more. Then what is it this time?

"Eat. We can discuss it after this." No one questioned his statement and we began eating silently with new members joining us to eat. My gut feeling continued to warn me of an unusual future ahead, waiting for us. It feels like a big event is about to happen which will change our lives forever. And my gut feelings are never wrong. I hope this change better be a positive one.

~

We were done with our meal. Dad was sitting silently, observing all four of us. We did the same. Even though Jihoon has an expressionless face on him right now, I know he is nervous. I can feel, he is trying to cover his hand tremors again. He can deceive everyone but me. I continued to glare at Dad but spared a few side glances sideways from time to time to ensure that he felt alright.

"Boys, today I am going to give you your second last mission." A gasp was heard from beside me and I looked at Choel. He looked as shocked and confused as I was. We didn't know how to react to this. All your life you have been a puppet and suddenly you are promised freedom. What is the first thing you'll do? You'll fall. Because you never learned how to stand without strings.

"Why suddenly this?" My mouth unconsciously spurted out. His expressions wavered a little and an emotion full of concern and nostalgia was visible on his face.

"The time is near when the cycle will reach where it started. You might remember that thirteen years ago, things blew up in our family. But it was just a small portion of the actual disaster that took place. I won't be able to protect anyone anymore. You all have to be a pillar for each other. Protect each other and trust no one. Not unless you are sure that they are safe."

It is so not him. I have seen Dad do all kinds of evil activities with no remorse. He killed, he supplied drugs, and he let Mom go. He even killed Mom and tried to kill Jisoo. Not once did he have any remorse. I have seen him do such things with a nonchalant face and now suddenly his emotions pouring out doesn't settle with me.

"What protection? Who is going to harm us? Are you hiding something?" Jihoon finally asked. He tried to look intimidating but the voice crack made his nervousness obvious. Dad chose to ignore his tone and replied.

"That is for me to know and you to find out. This is your mission. All your doubts will be answered by the end of this mission. You will find your last mission as soon as you finish this one and then you are free." 

Even though it was an unexpected announcement, I was somewhat happy about it. We can be away from dangerous work. Jihoon can join music. Choel and Wonwoo would be free and would live their lives as they wish. I can look for my brother Jisoo. We will be inseparable, all three of us. The dream of a happy family once again is enough of a motivation for me to fulfill these last two missions. 

"What is the mission?" Before I could ask, Wonwoo raised the question. I looked towards Dad. He rummaged through his pockets and brought out two silver keys. He then placed it in front of me and Jihoon. I picked mine and examined it. It looked like a normal key except it had a tiny detail that I could have missed easily if I didn't feel the carving texture. A little 'J' letter was carved at the bottom. Jihoon didn't touch his yet.

"These keys are a set of three. You will have to find the third person and they will guide you further. But finding him won't be easy because you will have to make sure your identity doesn't get revealed to the wrong person. It can cost you your lives." He paused and let the weight of his words settle within us. When no one spoke, he continued.

"There is an Art Camp organized by this huge university. The exchange students and top students of that university will be present along with a dozen of teachers. These students are around your age. Your fake IDs have been prepared. You are going to use it from now on. There will be around a hundred students and you are joining them for the mission." He was going to continue explaining but I stopped him midway.

"But we don't belong to any college. How are we going to blend?" I asked. Students know each other. Teachers know their students. How are we going to pull this off?

"The principal is a known person to me. Teachers and students are not your primary concern. Investors are. Make sure they don't see you because they will recognize you in an instant. We have had deals with them before. Everything else is arranged. Your files will be provided. You have to find that one person who has the third key. To widen the search, you four are going to be in different groups. Your files have the rest of the details. Read them before tomorrow afternoon."

He gave us a final glance. When it was confirmed that none of us had anything to ask, he pronounced- " You all are dismissed."